A Psychologist looks at Scripture

Send us Fan Mail In Scripture, heaven and the reign of God are often described as a banquet.  We know that the first miracle Jesus performed making wine was at a wedding banquet. This image would have had particular meaning in the ancient world. Food preservation was difficult because refrigeration did not exist. People generally ate what was available.  Perhaps the parable speaks to what happens...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s Gospel, Jesus tells a parable about a landowner who plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants, and then sends servants to collect the harvest. The tenants beat, stone, and kill the servants. Finally, the landowner sends his son, saying, “They will respect my son.” Instead, the tenants kill him as well, hoping to take possession of the inheritance. Matthew’s Gospel present...

Send us Fan Mail There is little room for misunderstandings in this parable.  I am sure the Pharisees and Scribes who heard this story for the first time must have bristled in annoyance as they knew Jesus was referring to them.  This parable speaks to us today as well.   Complete our 1 Minute Survey

Send us Fan Mail I have often asked this question, If your faith became illegal, would there be enough evidence for your neighbor’s to convict you?  This question is adapted from a question asked by John Wooden, a deeply religious basketball coach in 1997.  This question highlights the deeper question about how much our faith impacts our daily life choices.  I am reminded of this question when I r...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s Gospel Peter asks a question to Jesus, how many times does one forgive someone?  Excellent question, to paraphrase Peter, Jesus is asked about the limits of forgiveness.  Jesus poetically points out that forgiveness is limitless to anyone following him.  This answer is not  surprising; as Jesus frequently spoke about forgiveness.  One of the  last statements he made bef...

Send us Fan Mail This week’s Gospel reminds me of the letters of St. Paul to the Corinthians where he is addressing the different factions.  Jesus realized that when two or more people get together there will be disagreements and in some cases conflict.  Misunderstandings and different perspectives will impact all communities regardless of how unified or religious they are.  Despite his frequent c...

Send us Fan Mail The most significant line in this Gospel is Jesus saying, “Get behind me, Satan”.  In the past when I have preached on this  Gospel, I’ve always understood this passage as Jesus directing  this comment to Peter, thus indicating that while Peter recognized Jesus as the Messiah, he did not fully understand the mission.  I am now wondering if Jesus was making this comment to himself....

Send us Fan Mail It must have been frustrating for Jesus when people failed to recognize who he was. Some thought he was a prophet who had returned from the dead.  Jesus was making a very direct point: people in the past had responded more positively to the prophets than his own generation was responding to him. Even John the Baptist had to make clear that he was not the Messiah, but that someone...

Send us Fan Mail In this Gospel, Jesus is approached by an unnamed Canaanite woman who asks him for help. At first, Jesus responds in a way that seems unusually critical. In biblical times, the Canaanites were regarded as outsiders and rivals, but that alone does not fully explain the sharpness of Jesus’ words. Perhaps Jesus is using a teaching style, or perhaps he is making a deeper point. What s...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s podcast focusses on the Gospel of Matthew 14:22-33.  It will be read in churches on August the 9, 2026.  This Gospel is unusual.  The Gospel focusses on Jesus’ walking on water and when asked by the disciple Peter, Jesus invites Peter to walk on water with him.    There is no other Gospel like it.  There are two other Gospels that are very unusual too.  We have the account...

Send us Fan Mail Today’s Gospel is one of the two stories of Jesus feeding a large crowd.  I have spoken about this theme before.  I invite my listeners to check out my podcasts released on June 15, 2025, and another on July 21, 2024, for different reflections on this Scripture passage.  What is noteworthy is that Jesus uses the meagre contribution of humans to do great things.  There are many exa...

Send us Fan Mail The Gospel for July 26, 2026 continues with the theme of describing the kingdom of God.  Again, the kingdom of God appears to be something we live here on Earth.  Jesus is not addressing what Heaven will be like but rather teaching us how to achieve Heaven. It appears the Gospel is a collection of teachings of Jesus linked together by common theme.   There are a couple of themes w...

Send us Fan Mail In this Gospel, Jesus presents three parables that illuminate God’s plan for creation. The first is the parable of wheat and the weeds. A farmer’s field is deliberately sown with weeds by an enemy. When the plants begin to grow, the laborers offer to remove the weeds, but the landowner declines, recognizing that in doing so they may also uproot the wheat. At a practical level, man...

Send us Fan Mail In the Gospel today we hear one of the most famous of parables.  Jesus uses a well-known event to describe people’s faith experience.  People would be familiar with gardens especially vegetable gardens.  Most people did not have the luxury of growing flowers for their beauty.  As I have mentioned in a previous podcast the gardener was quite generous in sowing the seed.   Likely pe...

Send us Fan Mail This passage is distinctive in that Matthew presents Jesus offering a prayer of thanksgiving. Jesus praises the Father because understanding has been revealed to the “little ones”—those without status or power—while remaining hidden from those who might be expected to possess knowledge. The message is clear: true knowledge of God is not achieved solely through human effort or inte...

Send us Fan Mail At first hearing, this Gospel may seem somewhat jarring. However, its central theme is not unfamiliar. It echoes the foundation of our faith. Jesus teaches that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind, and that the second is to love your neighbor as yourself, as found in Matthew 22:36–40. At the same time, Scripture also calls us t...

Send us Fan Mail The early Christian community lived with significant fear—fear of rejection, persecution, and uncertainty about God’s presence in their suffering. That experience remains familiar today. While Scripture frequently refers to the “fear of the Lord,” it is noteworthy that this exact expression does not appear in the Gospels. Traditionally, it has been understood as reverence rather t...

Send us Fan Mail In this Gospel, Jesus sends out his disciples to minister to the people.  We don’t know exactly at what point in Jesus ministry did he send out the disciples.  We have many references to Jesus sending out his disciples to evangelize people from different cultures.  I want to draw your attention to several points made in this reading.  Jesus instructs them not to go to pagan territ...

Send us Fan Mail Today's reading needs to be unpacked to grasp the full meaning of the Gospel. Likely, this Gospel is of the same caliber as many of Jesus' statements that were meant to challenge the people and focus on the passion of the teachings. Other examples of this model include Matthew 18:9: "It is better for you to enter life with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown...

Send us Fan Mail Love is a defining theme throughout John’s Gospel. Not only does John emphasize God’s love for us, but he also stresses our call to love one another. In John 13:34–35, Jesus says, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples.” Loving others becomes the visible sign of our faith....

Send us Fan Mail We have the disciples gathered behind lock doors.  There they are processing their experience of crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus.  That is all they can do.  Then God’s mysterious presence in the form of the Spirit moves these individuals to courageously share faith with anyone who will listen.  There is no indication that they gained insight into their experiences, and the S...

Send us Fan Mail Like many goodbyes, the Ascension is bittersweet.  Jesus has completed his ministry on Earth.  He can have a sense of accomplishment.  Yet he is saying goodbye to his disciples.  There were likely many positive memories of comradeship, caring and supporting each other.  He reassures them they will have help in their ministry in the form of the Spirit of Truth, the Advocate, or the...

Send us Fan Mail As Jesus introduces the spirit of Truth as part of our relationship with God. Truth is absolutely foundational for spiritual growth, not just an optional “nice‑to‑have” accessory. In Christian teaching, truth is what God uses to convert and set people free. Spiritual growth therefore depends on a willingness to hear teaching, examine one’s life, and reject self‑deception, which is...

Send us Fan Mail In today’s edition there is a lot going on in this Gospel which is typical in John’s Gospel.  The Gospel starts with Jesus trying to reassure his disciples.  He speaks about providing a place for them and returning to come and get them.  It is obvious that Jesus is feeling a connection and is being protective of them.  When people feel they belong—whether in a family, community, o...

Send us Fan Mail One of the techniques that Jesus used was using situations that the people would be familiar with.  The readings today are no exception.  The people would be familiar with the gate keeper for the sheep.  To give you some background, most villages had a walled in field where the local shepherds would bring their flocks for the night.  The shepherds would take their turn guarding th...